Kojima banned from discussing Konami split

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has revealed that he is ‘contractually forbidden’ from discussing his split with Konami.

However, in an interview with The New Yorker, the developer was able to discuss the difficulties of being accountable to a large publisher and the opportunities that going independent will afford him.

The only way to create high-end games is to target the global market,” he said. But in order to target the global market, the management behind the project needs to have a keen sense for what will work, and be willing to take risks.

If you’re only focussed on the profits immediately in front of you, the times will leave you behind. It becomes impossible to catch up again.

When working in big companies, especially Japanese companies, every little thing has to be approved beforehand, and you need paperwork to do anything. Now that I’m independent, I can do what I want with much more speed. I don’t need to invest time in unnecessary presentations. I shoulder the risk.”

Kojima also confirmed that the new Kojima Productions now has four employees including, as previously detailed, artist Yoji Shinkawa and producer Kenichiro Imaizumi.